This article was published in Issue 5 of Volume 68 of the Mirador.
The classic teen movies of the last century have left all generations repeating the iconic lines, “Ugh, As If!,” “She doesn’t even go here!,” and “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.” No matter how corny or unrealistic these lines are, we continue to watch the movies they are in. So, in the spirit of the media we all love to consume, here is the recipe for every high school movie.
In this metaphor, cookies are the perfect dessert to represent high school movies. Cookies, like high school movies, are easy to consume, easy to make, and rarely stray from the usual recipe.
1. Flour – Distinct social cliques
Flour is one of the most important ingredients in cookies, so the only thing it can be represented by is the distinct social cliques that are present in every movie. You have the jocks, the popular kids, the band kids, the outcasts, and the list goes on and on. Every token clique is greatly exaggerated, with the jocks always wearing their letterman jackets, the band kids constantly carrying instruments, and the popular kids who always seem to have the best lunches. “Grease” shows the Greasers and the Pink Ladies vs. the Jocks and the Cheerleaders, with the Pink Ladies being the rebellious cool girls and the Cheerleaders being the excitable, innocent girls. The Pink Ladies are often shown smoking cigarettes, skipping school, and partying with the Greasers. Sandy is the outcast of the group due to her innocence, but she later transforms into a true Pink Lady by the end of the movie. Another movie that perfectly represents the social cliques is “The Breakfast Club,” where a student from each cliche is stuck in detention. There is the popular rich girl, played by Molly Ringwald, the token nerd, the bad boy, the jock, and the “weirdo.” The 80s movie shows the progression of all of the students being judgemental of each other in the beginning, but growing to understand one another by the end of their detention sentence.
2. Eggs – the best friend
The best-friend sidekick is a common trope that is recognizable in not just high school movies but most movies in all genres. Some of the most iconic duos include Cher and Dionne from “Clueless,” Ferris Bueller and Cameron Frye from “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” and Seth and Evan from Superbad. These recognizable best friends have been the inspiration for Halloween duo costumes and friend dynamics for years and are an important aspect of these iconic movies. Usually, the best friend is supportive and provides comedic relief in serious moments, but sometimes, the best friend is also a part of the main character’s development. In “Superbad,” Seth and Evan get into an argument about whether or not they are going to go to college together. This prompts them to separate for the night and find girls on their own. The next morning, they wake up in the same house and awkwardly offer to hang out at the mall. There they run into the same girls they were with the night before and separate to hang out with them, signifying their readiness to separate for college. In this movie, the best friend trope is what makes the film so entertaining. Both the funny banter and the awkward moments mirror real-life interactions and add comedic relief even when the characters are arguing.
3. Sugar – A new girl who preferably gets a makeover
Bella Swan, Cady Heron, Gabriella Montez, and Sandy Olsson are all characters who have two things in common: they are the new girls at school, and they all break out of their shells by the end of the movie, whether it’s because of a boy or a bangin’ makeover. Both Bella Swan (Twilight) and Gabriella Montez (High School Musical) are the shy new girls at school who are immediately noticed by the token stud, whether they are vampires or basketball players. Then comes the makeover. The classic line, “Tell me about it, stud,” marks the recognizable transformation where Sandy goes from an innocent “girl next door” to a true Pink Lady, decked out in a full leather outfit and sporting big hair that makes Danny say, “Oh, Sandy!” While teenage relationships are an important factor in high school movies, the adult presence is just as integral.
4. Baking Soda – the teacher or principal
In every high school movie, there is a principal or teacher who takes on either a protagonist or antagonist role. In John Hughes’ “The Breakfast Club”, the vice principal supervising the detention personifies the “tough guy” role and threatens the students with expulsion if they continue to act out. In other instances, the teacher’s role is a protagonist, like in “Mean Girls,” where Tina Fey’s teacher role influences the girls to treat each other with kindness and it leads the meeting with all of the girls, where each one confesses how they would change the world. This is where the iconic line, “If I could change the world, I’d make it Halloween everyday…and also have world peace” comes from when Karen steps up to make her proclamation. Another influential teacher takes the form of a coach in “High School Musical,” where Troy Bolton’s dad acts as his basketball coach and mentor, and offers Troy and his friends advice throughout the movie.
5. Vanilla – Overly involved parent
Often, there is either an overly involved parent or the parents are completely absent from their child’s life. In movies like Easy A, Mean Girls, and 10 Things I Hate About You, the parents are most concerned about their kids getting good grades, staying safe, and avoiding teen pregnancy In “10 Things I Hate About You,” the father of Kat and Bianca makes his daughter wear a pregnancy belly before going out so she can feel “the weight of her decisions.” While moments like these offer comedic relief, they also reflect real-life concerns many parents have. On the other hand, many parents in teen movies are a representation of a less realistic version of a parent. In this case, I’m referring to Regina George’s mom from “Mean Girls,” who is so involved in her daughter’s life that she mirrors what she wears, and tries to represent a “cool mom” persona. Played by Amy Poehler, Regina’s mom is a comedic representation of unrealistic, yet entertaining parenting.
6. Chocolate Chips – Love Triangle
I couldn’t make a high school movie trope list without including the classic love triangle. Whether it’s two brothers, best friends, complete enemies, or some other combination of two people going for the same person, the love triangle is a go-to plot point in high school movies. Jacob and Edward going after Bella in “Twilight,” mirrored both the werewolf vs. vampire rivalry and had fans all over choosing either “team Jacob” or “team Edward.” A good love triangle has the power to keep the audience watching, waiting to see which person the main character will choose in the end. Another famous love triangle is in John Hughes’ “Pretty in Pink,” where Molly Ringwald’s character, Andie, is met with a triangle between her best friend who secretly likes her, and her heartthrob classmate. Although Andie isn’t as torn between the two and ultimately chooses her classmate, the audience sympathizes with the best friend, and the love triangle is ultimately heightened by audience favoritism.
7. Butter – Prom!
The prom scene is often the pinnacle of every high school movie. “Carrie,” “Sixteen Candles,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” and so many more movies feature a dance scene where characters make up, break up, or realize their true worth. Throughout all of these movies, there is often a focus on the upcoming event: getting a date, voting for the prom queen, and getting ready for the dance. And, of course, it can’t be a perfect prom scene without the Prom Queen having her humble moment like Cady passing out pieces of her crown to everyone in Mean Girls or in Never Been Kissed where Drew Barrymore’s character gives a heartfelt speech about her high school experience.
8. Cookie Tray – Everyone Gets Along in the End
After rewatching all of these teen movies in part as research for this article and partially just for fun, I’ve wondered one thing: how, after so much conflict and drama throughout the movie, can everyone just get along in the end? There is no answer to this, except that it’s just the nature of every high school movie. The main characters learn from their mistakes and everyone becomes friends in the end. “The Breakfast Club,” another John Hughes classic, ends with all of the characters getting over their differences and getting along before being released from detention. The ending scene provides one of the most iconic endings to a movie, where the misunderstood bad boy, John Bender, exits the school while raising his fist, paired with the song “Don’t You Forget About Me.” Another classic ending is the end to the “High School Musical” trilogy, where everyone graduates. Although all of the characters have had their differences throughout the trilogy, they all come together in the end to celebrate their accomplishments in high school, and the futures ahead of them. What is special about high school movies is that no matter what mistakes the characters make, they always find a way to patch it up and get along in the end, while learning lessons about themselves in the process.
So, that is the recipe for the perfect high school movie. While high school movies don’t often reflect real high school experiences, the reason these tropes are reused in all of them is because they amplify and dramatize our everyday experiences and make us feel less alone in our own daily struggles in high school. If you think you’re having a bad day, just think about Veronica Sawyer who almost blew up her whole school, or Regina George who was hit by a bus! Moreover, the reason we keep coming back to these movies is also because of their pure entertainment factor: it’s fun to watch petty arguments and clique drama, especially when it isn’t actually happening to us!
